Headphones
The best headphones for every budget in 2026
161 models ranked by the maker’s own specs and owner ratings, with today’s prices from 6 shops that deliver to Germany.
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| Sonos Ace × | |
|---|---|
| Most important facts | |
| The lowest price today at a shop that delivers to you, delivery included. A price with an asterisk comes from a shop abroad, and its delivery cost is our own estimate. Lowest price | 299 €Saturn |
| Our own score out of 10: 60% the maker’s facts and 40% shop ratings. Price does not count. Score | |
| The average of the stars buyers give at the shops, with the number of reviews behind it. We only compare it from 20 reviews. Customer rating | ★ 4.5 · 30 reviews |
| How the headphones cancel outside noise with microphones. Hybrid uses microphones outside and inside the cup, adaptive also adjusts to the sound around you. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Adaptive |
| How long the headphones or the earbuds play on one charge with noise cancelling on, as the maker states it. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 30 h |
| What the headphones or one earbud weigh. Lighter is more comfortable for hours at a time. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 312 g |
| The Bluetooth version. A newer one connects more steadily and uses less power, if the phone has it too. Source
| 5.4 |
| Connected to two devices at once, such as a phone and a laptop, and switching by itself to the one that plays. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| yes |
| Rank | |
| Where the model stands in our ranking, among the headphones of the same type. Rank | rank 13 of 33 with an over-ear fit |
| Battery | |
| How many minutes of charging give the playback below. Source
| 3 min |
| How many hours of playback a short fast charge gives. Source
| 3 h |
| How long a full charge takes. Source
| 180 min |
| The plug the headphones or their case charge through. Source
| USB-C |
| Build and fit | |
| How the headphones sit: over the ear, on the ear, in the ear canal, in the outer ear, beside the ear or on the cheekbone. Source
| Over-ear |
| Two separate earbuds with no wire between them, charged in a case. Source
| no |
| They play over Bluetooth, without a cable to the phone. Source
| yes |
| The plug for a cable, so you can also listen wired, for instance on a plane or with a battery that has run out. Source
| USB-C only |
| They play sound over a USB-C cable, straight from a phone or a laptop. Source
| yes |
| The kind of speaker inside. Dynamic drivers are the most common. Planar and electrostatic ones are mostly found in expensive headphones for home listening. Source
| Dynamic |
| The diameter of the speaker inside. A bigger driver does not by itself mean better sound. Source
| 40 mm |
| What the cushions against your ears are made of. Leather and protein leather seal well but get warm, velour and fabric breathe but let more sound in. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Protein leather |
| How you play, pause and change the volume on the headphones themselves. Source
| Buttons |
| How many microphones the maker counts, for calls and noise cancelling together. Source
| 8 |
| Warranty and support | |
| The month the model came out, as far as the maker or a register shows. Source
| 2024-05-21 |
| Sound | |
| You can adjust bass and treble in the maker’s app. Source
| yes |
| Sound that seems to come from around you rather than from inside your head. Source
| yes |
| The sound stays in place when you turn your head, as at a cinema. Source
| yes |
| Noise cancelling | |
| Lets outside sound through on purpose, so you hear traffic or a colleague without taking them off. Source
| yes |
| Wireless | |
| How many devices they stay connected to at once. Source
| 2 |
| In use | |
| The music pauses when you take them off and plays on when you put them back. Source
| yes |
| The name of the maker’s app. Source
| Sonos app |
Facts as the maker states them. A dash means the maker does not name it. Each model’s page gives the source of every fact. Noise is the maker’s own figure, so we do not judge it, and a customer rating only counts from 20 reviews.
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Lowest price at every shop that delivers to Germany, VAT and delivery included. * = delivery cost and VAT estimated for a foreign shop.
Whose tests we use
Beside each model we also show where these testers place it in their own lists, without counting it in the score:
How we combine the maker’s facts and owners’ ratings into one score is on the method page.
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